Author's Corner with Jody Lynn Allen, author of ROSES IN DECEMBER
Roses in December

Welcome back to the UVA Press Author's Corner! Here, we feature conversations with the authors of our latest releases to provide a glimpse into the writer's mind, their book's main lessons, and what’s next for them. We hope you enjoy these inside stories.

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Today, we are happy to bring you our conversation with Jody Lynn Allen, author of Roses in December: Black Life in Hanover County from Civil War to Civil Rights

What inspired you to write this book? 

My husband and I moved to Ashland, the only incorporated town in Hanover County, when he accepted a position at Randolph-Macon College. Although I grew up in Hampton, Virginia, I had never heard of Ashland or Hanover County before. Six years later, I left my job to pursue a PhD in history to prepare for a career in college-level teaching. While exploring potential dissertation topics, I knew that I wanted to know more about the Black experience in the upper south in the years that I refer to as the era of disfranchisement. I chose to delve into the Black history of Hanover County. Roses, which is drawn from my dissertation, grew out of my desire to learn more about my adopted community.

What did you learn and what are you hoping readers will learn from your book? 

When I began this journey and I shared my dissertation topic, I must admit that there were a few doubters who did not believe that I would find enough information to write a dissertation or book about Black life in Hanover. I hope that readers learn what I learned: Hanover County, Virginia has a rich and fascinating Black history.

What surprised you the most in the process of writing your book? 

In 1955, a year after 1954 US Supreme Court determined that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional, and a few months after Brown II required that schools be desegregated with “all deliberate speed,” I was surprised to learn that the Hanover Board of Supervisors considered closing the county schools to avoid desegregating. While I knew about the school closings in Prince Edward County, I was not aware that Hanover had considered making a similar decision.

What’s your favorite anecdote from your book?

During the era of disfranchisement, Black people were forced to find ways to garner respect as men and women. For example, Black people were seldom, if ever, afforded the honorific of Mr. or Mrs. or Miss before their name. Indeed, grown people were referred to by their first name or as “uncle” or “aunt.” One of the people I interviewed explained that her father had always referred to himself by his initials. She didn’t realize why he did this until he explained that was a way of keeping white people from referring to him by his first name. That was a way of taking control in a time when saying something directly was not safe.

What’s next? 

I will be on leave for the 2025-2026 academic year. During that time, I will begin work on two new book projects. Roses has inspired me to learn more about the antebellum period in Hanover. The second project will take me to Newberry County, South Carolina where my maternal grandparents grew up. I will also collaborate with a colleague to finish “The Green Light,” a documentary about Green v. the New Kent County School Board, a 1968 Supreme Court decision that forced school desegregation.

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